Side airbags that deployed are credited with saving the life of motorist Rita Perez, 38, of Toms River in a crash Tuesday on Toms River Road in Jackson.

Written by

Police say a Toms River woman survived a Tuesday car crash because her driver's side airbag deployed after she apparently fell asleep at the wheel and crashed into a utility pole, police said.

Rita Perez, 38, suffered multiple injuries in the 1:44 p.m. crash on Toms River Road near Stump Tavern Road, according to Traffic Safety Officer Kevin Chesney, a spokesman for the unit. She was airlifted to the trauma center at Jersey Shore University Medical Center in Neptune and admitted, police said.

Perez was driving a 2010 Honda Civic north on Toms River Road when the crash happened, he said. ...